Thursday, July 9, 2009

IRS tells pro-lifers to give up 1st Amendment Rights

The IRS is treading on the first Amendment rights of the members of the Coalition for Life in Iowa. The members were told that they had to give up their 1st amendment rights if they wanted to be recognized as a non-profit organization. Has the IRS made this same demand of Pro-Abortion non-profit groups? Or Leftist non-profits? If not, this is hypocrisy at its worst. If not, then this double standard must be stopped!!

"As detailed in its … narrative, the Coalition for Life carries out its tax-exempt work
by sponsoring educational forums and coordinating with other like-minded groups to educate the public and otherwise promote sanctity of life principles," the letter continues.

"The Coalition is aware that from time to time, individuals who may or may not be involved with the Coalition gather for prayer outside of a Planned Parenthood facility. These gatherings are consistently small (ten or fewer people), peaceful, not in any way disrupting, and consist solely of silent and spoken prayers," the lawyer wrote.

"As detailed in its … narrative, the Coalition for Life carries out its tax-exempt work
by sponsoring educational forums and coordinating with other like-minded groups to educate the public and otherwise promote sanctity of life principles," the letter continues.
"The Coalition is aware that from time to time, individuals who may or may not be involved with the Coalition gather for prayer outside of a Planned Parenthood facility. These gatherings are consistently small (ten or fewer people), peaceful, not in any way disrupting, and consist solely of silent and spoken prayers," the lawyer wrote.

However, an IRS agent then contacted the Coalition, through its president Susan Martinek, demanding to know whether the group "engaged in any 'picketing' or 'protest' activities at Planned Parenthood. … You then asked Ms. Martinek to have all Coalition Board members sign a statement that the Coalition will not 'picket' or 'protest' outside of Planned Parenthood or similar organizations and will not 'organize' others to do so," the law firm's letter said.

Each of us, as United States citizens' have a write to peaceful protest, according to the constitution. The IRS is taking away freedom from this Pro-Life group, called The Coalition for Life. This is totally outrageous. What other rights' of ours, according to the constitution will this administration or/and govt. take away next? This is outrageous!!!

"The IRS' requests come perilously close to violating the First Amendment constitutional rights of the Coalition's supporters, and they are not otherwise germane to the Coalition for Life's pending ... application

" As you acknowledged verbally to me over the telephone, the Coalition's application is now ripe for approval. The IRS's delay and questioning … constitutes unnecessary and prejudicial interference with the Coalition's legal right to a tax-exempt determination."

"This is the way government oppression creeps into a society," said Judie Brown, president of American Life League. "It starts when the government targets, and attempts to intimidate and silence the grassroots dissenters who will not dance to the tune of the Obama administration’s radically pro-abortion policies."

"This is not only political intimidation by the Internal Revenue Service but it is a blatant violation of First Amendment rights," Brown said. "Neither the Coalition for Life of Iowa nor any other educational and advocacy organization should be subjected to such discriminatory scrutiny. This is a clear case of government repression."

I am outraged by this coercion being used by the IRS to try and intimidate Pro-Life groups from peacefully protesting. WE MUST STOP THIS!!! NEXT TAX DAY, IS THERE A REVOLUTION IN THE WORKS? POSSIBLY STOPPING THE GRAVY TRAIN!!!!!

About Me

I am a married, Catholic,Conservative woman who has studied sociology and theology in college, loves everything related to politics, and who is also trying to return to college to finish my bachelors degree in journalism and sociology.